Saturday, March 23, 2019

Glimpses of Him



The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Psalm 19:1 NIV

The beginning of this week, (Sunday, March 17th) marked the 4th year of my mother's transition to eternal life. So, of course this weekend began with me being a little emotional. And although I know she is resting in peace and I will see her again, I miss her dearly being here. There is nothing that can replace my mother's love!!! The good news is God promises that He will comfort those who mourn! (Matthew 5:4) And this week, He did just that! 

Glimpse #1
He began by putting me on the mind of someone the EXACT date of my mom's death, without the person even knowing it. I received the text below and immediately began to cry, because I knew God was comforting me!


Glimpse #2
On yesterday, I captured the pics (at the beginning and end of this post) of God's awesomeness on display in the sky! (The pics don't give the real view any justice!) At first sight, I couldn't really see the sun, because of the clouds covering it. I could see the rays shining from the sun, but I could only see glimpses of the sun. Then suddenly, there was a break in the clouds, and I could see it! It reminded me that just like the sun was shining right beyond the clouds, God is ALWAYS there...glimpses of Him!!!! Leading, guiding, and directing my path!

I immediately heard a song from 1999 ("There He Is" by Trin-i-tee 5:7) begin to play in my head. I really didn't remember the lyrics, so I googled them. Here's an excerpt from the chorus. .....
There He is
Wherever I go
There He is
Wherever I turn
There He is
He's all around
There He is
Reach out and touch Him
There He is
He's right there
There He is
And He's guaranteed to answer
There He is
All of your prayers

Glimpse #3
Later on, I went to the home of one of my co-workers for dinner with her family. She is an Arabic teacher from Jordan and she is a Muslim. We taught together my first two years here in the UAE. Her son was in my 3rd grade class last year and currently in my 4th grade class. Over the years that I've been here, she and I have become "friends like family". She says I'm her "sister". We took this picture before I left their home. She was uncovered during my visit, but covered for the pic. 😍


Traditional meal prepared by her husband! We ate sitting on the floor around the meal, which is their custom to do. 

This was the first time I would go to her home. Previously when she invited me over, I was not available. But God made sure I was available on this particular weekend, because He once again kept His promise of comforting me in my mourning! At the beginning of the week, I was missing my mom being here and missing being home with my family, and God ended my week by having me spend time with "family"! Once again showing me a glimpse of Him!

Her husband snapped this pic of their children and I to share with their family back in Jordan. The son with four fingers up is the one I have taught the past two years. 


While I know God is always there, receiving these glimpses of Him always leaves me in AWE!!  


There He is!!! 

I am His!
Faith Walker


Saturday, March 2, 2019

Seek and Find

"....seek and keep on seeking and you will find;..." Matthew 7:7 Amplified

The kindergarten me! Only God knew the plans He had for me!


As a child, I remember playing a game called "Hide and Seek". I'm sure many of you did too, so you already know the rules. Let me just give a recap for anyone who didn't. In the game, there is a person who is "It". That person has to cover their eyes and count to a specific number while the other players find somewhere to hide. After reaching the specific number, the person who is "It" has to try to find the other players before they reach a designated place considered as a "safe" place. If anyone is found by the person who is "It" and is touched by that person, that player now becomes "It" and the game repeats itself. The game can go on and on for however long the players want to continue to play. This is similar to what happens when you chose to seek after God in real life. However, the roles are reversed. In life, God is the "It" and you must seek after Him to find Him! He doesn't hide from you, but to find who He is, you have to seek after Him. And when you do, He promises you will find Him! The amplified version of Matthew 7:7 tells us to 'seek and keep on seeking (Him) and you will find (Him)'. This means "continuously". Continuously is defined as: "without interruption or repeatedly without exceptions or reversals." Which means the way to finding Christ is if you seek Him without interruption or repeatedly without exceptions or reversals. Now, because God is merciful, He realizes that life sometimes brings interruptions that may cause us to make exceptions or to reverse in our seeking. They key is to not stop seeking!

My journey of seeking God began when I first asked Him to be my Savior at a very young age. I don't remember my exact age, but I do know I was elementary school age. One of my most memorable moments was when I decided to burn all my pants on the trash pile in our back yard, because I thought I needed to wear only dresses to be "really saved". LOL! I'm sure my mom didn't quite understand what was going on with me, but she did not question me and allowed me to do what I thought I needed to do. Of course, after years of seeking God, I found that wearing dresses has nothing to do with my salvation. Praise God for His revelation! I am also thankful for my mother who always supported me in my journey. She knew before I knew that one day I would be living in a foreign land. I'm sure she is in heaven telling everyone, "My daughter is a missionary. I always knew she was going to live somewhere out of the country." She probably would get the name of where I stay wrong though. That's my momma! Lord, I miss her. 😍(Sorry, I had a moment.)


The past couple of months, I've been intentionally "disconnecting" as I've been seeking God on some specific things. During this time of  disconnecting and seeking I've received much revelation; not just on the specific things I've been seeking for, but also on my journey of walking by faith. As I reflect on my journey, I realize how seeking God has lead me every step of the way. Also, you never know what you will "find" when you begin seeking Him. Although seeking Him always leads you in the right direction, I admit some of the things I have found don't always make sense to me. Sometimes I don't understand why God is asking me to do certain things, or what His plans are. This can cause me to start trying to figure things out; to try to make things make sense. But then God gently reminds me of the last time I sought Him and found Him. He reminds me of how He has never forsaken me, even if things didn't go the way I thought they would. He reminds me of  how He has not changed and His purpose for me has not changed. He reminds me He always keeps His promises!

Testimony
Last month, I had a surgery related to a medical issue I've been suffering with. After seeking God and receiving His answer, I moved forward with planning to have the surgery.  Originally, it was supposed to be in December. Then it was scheduled to be in January. Finally, it was rescheduled for February. All the time, God knew the date He had ordained it to be. At first, I was a little upset about the hospital's constant delays, but then I realized it was God's perfect timing with something He had asked me to do. It happened exactly when it was supposed to. I must admit, it was a little scary having surgery in a foreign country. But I knew God had led me to a specific doctor. (That's another story for another time.) This doctor actually agreed to do the surgery for me at a hospital that he isn't really assigned to, but came (30 minutes away from his usual hospital) to do the procedure as a special request from me. From the first time I met the doctor, he seemed to know me. I don't know what His faith background is, but I know God led me to him. As He promised, He is with me always! Once again, He showed me that even in this foreign land He gave me favor!

Update
As for my school year...As I shared before, this school year has been the most challenging since I arrived in August 2016. Although, there has been some improvement this second term, God continues to give me strength for the assignment He has given me. I realize that I am His vessel, and that His purpose for me being here is much greater than the challenges I encounter. For that reason, I am able to remain content and continue to find the joy in my journey! I see the progress of my students, which brings me great joy! Here are a few pics!








 In closing...
Recently, while watching a movie (Serendipity), one of the characters said, "You don't have to understand. You just have to have faith in destiny." While she wasn't referring to divine destiny, I know that my faith has to remain in the destiny that God has for me! Regardless of what my current situation may look like or seem like, I know God knows the plans He has for me. (Jeremiah 29:11) So I just have to seek and keep on seeking Him, CONTINUOUSLY! I can't allow anything or anyone to interrupt or reverse my faith in seeking God. My destiny depends on it! Your destiny depends on it too! SEEK and FIND!



The 2019 me! Only God knows the plans He has for me!


I am His,
Faith Walker